My Price to Pay
by Katfosel
Summary: After a hard battle with a strange Kishin that calls himself 'Pride', Maka, Kid, and BlackStar are all grievously wounded and sent from their world to another. Alone and without their weapon partners, the three resign themselves to their fate. But who's this blond kid? -told in drabbles-
1. The Beginning

_For the sake of convenience, the first few drabbles are all grouped together in this chapter, but they'll be spaced out as the story continues. I'll try and update this every day, but no promises._

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**PRIDE** _(Maka, Kid, and BlackStar)_

We couldn't believe our eyes when this strange little Kishin egg, a little boy, started shooting black tendrils of energy at us that sliced through brick walls like a knife through warm butter. Every time BlackStar and Maka would slice him, or Kid would land a shot, the little brat would just smirk and heal himself. Every time we got too close, we were pushed back by a wall of shadows. Finally we stopped and panted, catching our breath. 'Pride' stood there and watched us, smirking lazily.

"What now?" Maka panted.

Kid and BlackStar shook their heads. "I think we've only got one option," ground out the latter.

"I agree," the smooth reaper murmured. "It's our only chance."

"Fine," smiled Maka, and asked her weapon, "You ready, Soul?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

Striking a few chords on his piano, the demon scythe grinned with his shark-like teeth, and began twirling his fingers on the keys, playing a random little tune he'd been composing the other day. It was fast-paced and rather (as he liked to call it) 'epic', perfect for battle.

**ROUND ONE** _(BlackStar)_

I snorted in anticipation. This punk, Pride or whatever the hell he called himself, could smirk all he wanted. I was about to blow him out of the water. Soul's newest piece quickened my battle-lust, and I chuckled inwardly, letting Tsubaki hear. I could feel her smile through our link, strengthening as the Resonance poured through our wavenlengths. I felt the usual thrill of power as I connected with Maka's pure white soul, and again with Kid's dark-and-golden one.

We were ready. "Let's do this," I muttered, and charged.

**ROUND TWO** _(Kid)_

I watched BlackStar run forward, strikes with his Enchanted Sword matching the blows Pride sent his way perfectly. I knew I was giving off a little bit of a smug aura as I prepared Death Cannon, and Liz and Patty picked up on it.

"I still think we should be more careful," Liz fretted.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine!" cheered her sister.

I shushed them and concentrated, allowing the sleek silver-and black cannons to form around my forearms. The familiar slight weight of the metal was reassuring, and I basked in its symmetry for a moment before focusing the barrels in Pride's direction.

"Looks like he doesn't even know how to part his hair symmetrically. Let's rectify that."

**ROUND THREE** _(Maka)_

Clenching my teeth and letting out a gritted sound of concentration, I made Genie Hunter's glowing white blade take over Soul's usual red and black, forcing it to expand with our combined wavelengths. As BlackStar kept him distracted, I rushed the creature from behind, slicing it clean through him.

"Genie Hunter!" I yelled for emphasis.

Staggering the slightest bit, Pride's eyes widened and he dropped his guard. BlackStar's sword and Kid's cannon blast met him at the same moment, obscuring him in a cloud of skull-shaped smoke which the blue-haired assassin leaped cleanly out of, skidding to a stop next to Kid and myself. We waited, weapons still poised, for the smoke to clear. For several tense moments, all was still. Then an enraged shriek split the air and three large shadow-blades, complete with white teeth, erupted from the gray clouds and shot at the three of us faster than we could blink.

I could only stare in horror as my leg hit the ground.

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_Yeah, I'll update this later today. You can probably see where this is going. 8D_

_In fact, I love this story so much, I'm going to update later today. owo As soon as I get one review... and even if I don't get any... I'm still updating as soon as I get back from dinner. c:_

_**Kat**  
_


	2. What Was Lost

_Yeah, I'm back. Already. Problem? n~n_

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**WHAT WAS LOST** _(Soul, Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty)_

"BLACKSTAR!" Tsubaki's scream, which we were used to hearing, was shrill, high, and painful unlike anything we had ever heard before.

"Maka!" Soul yelled, eyes widened in terror.

"Kid!" Liz and Patty cried in unison, tears falling freely from the elder's eyes.

Black shadows raced forward, confiscating the four weapons before their meisters could clench their hands too tight around them. The three lay in pools of blood, eyes wide and agonized, too numbed to process what they had lost.

"Move, you have to move!" Tsubaki sobbed as Pride advanced. The shadows constricted their weapon forms, not allowing any transformation.

"I'm afraid not," Pride hissed, his voice doubled and his eyes glowing red. "You see, I came here because a friend of my father's wanted you three gone. So you know what I'll do? I'll send you to a place where nobody knows you, where nobody knows that you're missing. And there you can die."

More shadows leapt forth, scoring designs and circles around the three meisters. Kid's eyes focused a little and he stirred. "Guys," he croaked.

BlackStar was the next to move. "Ahh..." he hissed in pain.

"Hah!" Maka whimpered, twitching one arm. "I-I... can't..."

So the four of us watched in terror, panic, and utter desperation, as a man walked out of the shadows clad all in white with his long black hair in a smooth ponytail. Grinning with bloodthirst, he clapped his hands to the ground where our meisters lay, inscribed with the circles Pride had drawn. The lines glowed bright blue with electricity, and then... they were gone. Ragged screams were torn from four throats at once.

"NOOOO!"

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_Cliffies. Yush._

_**Kat**  
_


	3. Awakening

_Back again. I love this story too much, I can't stop writing X3_

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**AWAKENING** { Kid }

Biting my lip until I could taste blood _(no, no, more blood)_, I twitched and to my chagrin whimpered a little in pain. _(It hurt, it hurt, ithurtithurtithurt)_ My legs - or lack thereof - were on fire, they burned and threatened to spark flames in my blood itself. It hurt... _(the sparks were burning hot, hot hot hot)_

I slapped a bit of awareness back into myself mentally. _(Wake up wake up)_ 'Blood doesn't burn,' I hissed to myself. 'Blood is a liquid. Most liquids do not burn.' It certainly felt like fire to me. _(Burning hot hot hot)_ Tuning out the pain as best I could, I cracked my eyes open to be met with a blue sky. Hmm. _(Lovely, pretty blue sky)_

Agonizingly, I raised myself up and, beyond caring about symmetry, removed my black and white blazer and tore it into strips, binding these tightly _(it hurts it hurts)_ around the stumps of my legs. Still have some left over, I looked right and left to see Maka and BlackStar also lying on their backs, blood pooling around their lost limbs. _(Red red red, it was all he could see)_

Dragging myself inch by inch, I gathered up the remainders of my blazer and started binding Maka's wounds as well.

**ETERNAL SLEEP** { Maka }

I woke slowly, _(black wave receding, going away, don't leave)_ my entire body lit on fire. I couldn't feel my left arm, nor my left leg. It hurt so much I screamed, the sound too shrill for humans to hear. Apparently not too shrill for Grim Reapers.

"Ow," was my greeting. Opening my still running eyes _(tears, tears, they won't put out the flames)_, my blurry vision focused on Kid, whose golden eyes were narrowed with agony and concentration. Looking behind him, I realized both his legs were gone.

_(Oh no, oh no, not both)_

He was binding the stumps of my arm and leg in the torn cloth of what looked like his jacket. We both painfully turned our heads to the right, to see a still unconscious BlackStar. Easing my torn, stained jacket off of me, Kid dragged himself on his elbows over to the blue-haired boy.

_(Courage, what courage, more than I have...)_

**SURPASSING PAIN** { BlackStar }

Groaning, I tried to move my fists, to find I couldn't feel my fingers. Eyes flying open with a gasp, I beheld with a gaping jaw the unreal sight of my hands. _(Gone gone gone, why are they gone?)_ Feeling a searing pain in my right foot, I sucked in a breath to see that that too was gone. It was severed a few inches above the ankle.

Letting my head fall back, I beheld the rather scary sight of a blood-covered Maka, minus one arm, biting her lip hard as Kid bound my foot and hands. _(Ignore the pain, you can beat it)_

"What happened?" I gritted, trying not to cry. _(Oh God, it hurts, it hurts)_

"Pride," she whispered, a few tears falling herself.

_(Surpass the pain. It cannot beat you.)_

Letting out the tiniest hoarse cry as Kid finished with my foot, I managed to prop myself up. We were lying in a sunny, grassy meadow in the middle of nowhere. "What now?" _(Surpass the pain...)_

* * *

_For now, they'll be grouped together until the main part is over and I get to the more spaced ministories._

_**Kat**  
_


	4. Defeat

_I seriously love writing this. *is evil*_

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**DEFEAT** { Maka }

"I don't know," I breathed painfully. _(In, out, in, out, how do I breathe again?)_ "We... we sit here I guess."

"It's come down to that?" Kid moaned, laying his head back and trying not to shriek from the pain in his legs. _(Gone, gone, but at least he's symmetrical)_ I couldn't handle the thought. None of them could walk, Kid was the only one with both hands, and they had no idea whether they were even on the same planet. _(Silly, different planet, how is it possible)_

_(People landed on the moon.)_

_(There's no air there.)_

_(There's air here...)_

"We can't be," I whispered. "Soul..." I knew the feeling that was crushing me, not letting me breathe. Defeat. _(I'm beaten...)_

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_8 views! I think. *celebrates* Review please?_

_**Kat**  
_


	5. Strangers & Findings

_Okay, serious explanation time._

_This is a FMAB crossover, and it takes place in the episode 'Road of Hope', then goes on from there with the addition of the Soul Eater trio. I haven't decided much about whether they'll learn alchemy or not, probably not, but we'll see. ;) This is an ongoing story and I will be trying to update at least once a day - seeing as I'm about four chapters ahead of what you're about to read, it should be easy. ^^_

_There will be no pairings, EdxMaka or Soul Eater interpairings or otherwise. I don't. Do. Pairings._

_RESPONDING TO A GUEST REVIEW: Which one are you? When you don't sign your name or a clue (sesame, PBS, stonekangaroo, GRACE, anything) I can't tell who the heck you are. owo;_

_Hope that clears things up a bit! Here's an extra long chapter to make up for falling asleep last night without updating chapter five..._

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**STRANGE FINDINGS** { Edward }

I was limping along, cursing this replacement leg. We'd found Doctor Marcoh, we had our one good link to finding the Philosopher's Stone, and Granny had gone and stuck a replacement leg on me while we waited for three days. Three days! It was express, but it sure was frustrating.

Plus, no arm meant no alchemy. Al couldn't be fixed, so I was on my own... _(no, not alone, he had Den)_ Today the Major had decided to walk with me. Day Two and I was already getting tired of him...

Looking up, I recognized the huge field Al and I used to play in when we were kids. It was farmland, but the farmer that owned it was old and had no children or family that could take it over, so instead he grew grass and let it run wild for the kids of the village to use. It made for a great snowball site.

"What is this?" asked Armstrong.

"It's just a field," I deadpanned, rolling my eyes.

He pointed at something in the middle of the grass. "No, that."

We both hopped over the ruined wooden fence and hurried over. _(Oh... no, not again, not a reminder)_ There were three kids, looking about my age, lying in blood-smeared grass with two or more limbs chopped off. "Oh my..."

"Carry them," I ordered harshly, picking up the girl and slinging her over my back with some difficulty _(only one arm, she only had one, just like me)_ and set off for the Rockbell house as fast as I could. The Major picked up the two boys and hurried after me.

**STRANGERS** { Alphonse }

I was sitting, thankfully outside my box, and trying to coax a cat closer to me with one big finger. It kept sniffing me then running away. _(So close... so far)_ I was about to try to drag myself around with one arm and one leg, I was rather bored, when I heard the sound of panicked running feet. Turning my head as well as I could, if I'd had a jaw it would have dropped.

Brother and the Major were running along the road as fast as they could towards the house, both with people draped over their shoulders. Ed was carrying a girl _(she only has one leg and one arm...)_, trying to keep her from falling off. The Major was carrying two boys. _(One with no legs, one with no hands, what happened?)_

"Brother?" I called, a little frightened.

"I'll explain later, I have to get them to Granny and Winry!" he yelled back, tripping up the steps with his replacement leg.

_(They're like us. Crippled.)_

**DOCTORS AND BANDAGES** { Winry }

I was busy wiring the elbow joint in Ed's new arm, concentrating solely on the tiny wires and their placements, when a terrible racket erupted from downstairs. Among the yelling I recognized the little blonde terror's voice. Jumping, I almost clipped off the copper end of the wire. Slamming my tweezers angrily down on the table, I stood up and jumped down the stairs two at a time. Swinging around the end railing, I planted my hands on my hips and started berating angrily, "Do you want your arm-"

_(No. No, more blood, not again.)_

"You're covered in blood," she gasped, all anger forgotten. "What happened?!"

Ed looked down, surprised. "Oh, it's not mine. We found three teenagers in the meadow, they were all missing at least two limbs. They need help."

Gaping, I followed the sound of Granny's voice into the operating room, where sure enough two boys and a girl lay, stumps bandaged clumsily and clothes soaked in blood. Granny was loading rolls and rolls of white bandages along with anesthesia and other medical supplies. She spotted me and ordered, "Well? Come help."

I obliged. _(It's happening again.)_ I didn't want to see anyone die. I'd seen enough death.

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_Review?_

_**Kat**  
_


	6. Questions

_Hay again. Flying to America tomorrow, so I'll be more on schedule with a lot of things... XP_

_Oh, by the way, the timeline for the Soul Eater characters is a little after the defeat of Asura (anime-verse)._

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**QUESTIONS** { Kid and BlackStar }

BlackStar was the first to wake up this time. He opened his eyes a crack and took in his surroundings slowly. Hospital beds? Uncomfortable. There were the other two. Glancing surruptitiously at his hands, he found his chest was bare and he was wearing white shorts; and his wounds were bandaged. _(We were found...)_ Kid woke up next, in the same state, and their eyes met briefly before both settled back to gazing at the strange pair of women sitting at a table nearby. One was tall, young, and had long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. The other was short, old, and had gray hair in a stiff ponytail. Both were talking with low, serious tones. _(Do we trust them?)_

The older one was smoking a pipe and discussing the trio. "Their blood loss was significant, but all three of them are remarkably strong, especially the boy with the black hair." _(They saved us.)_

"And automail? Do you think they'll want it?" the blonde asked.

"That's for them to say."

Maka woke up, and was less subtle about it. "Ow. My arm- right. Where are we?" We rolled our eyes at her, with 'Gee, thanks for making it obvious' expressions. The blonde and the old woman turned around in surprise. _(Careful, careful, enemies or not?)_

"Welcome to Resembool," the old one replied.

**HOPE SHINES** { Winry }

I stood up and dipped my head. "Nice to meet you. I'm Winry, and this is my grandmother Pinako.

"Automail?" one of the boys questioned. He sure looked strange, black hair with perfect white stripes. Then again, the other boy had weird hair too. _(Funny funny strangers. Don't trust them.)_

Ed came in. "Hey, they awake- oh, I guess so." He blinked at the trio and waved with his left hand.

"Your arm!" the girl gasped. "Like us?"

He glanced at it and his eyes darkened. I averted my gaze. "Yeah, it's gone. But I've got automail now." Pulling the sleeve of his tanktop off, he showed off his metal port. "Winry here made it."

"So automail replaces your missing limbs with metal ones?" the blue-haired boy questioned, excited. He sat up in his bed using his elbows.

"I've found a way to get home," announced the other unnecessarily.

Frowning, the girl inquired, "Metal attached to your skin? Doesn't that hurt?"

"Like hell," Ed confirmed grimly, and I winced. "But it's worth it to walk again."

The three barely glanced at each other before the girl, who seemed to be like their leader, confirmed in a confident voice, "We'll do it."

I finally cut in and pointed my wrench at Ed. "But first I have to finish fixing yours."

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_To review or not to review...? (the first, if you please 8D)_

_**Kat**_


	7. Gone

_Little intermission. Sorry for not updating yesterday~ x.x_

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**GONE** { Soul }

Pride had disappeared, along with the white-clothed man, in another glowing blue circle. The second we dropped to the ground all four of us transformed and scrambled over to the place where our meisters had lain. Nothing remained but a smear of bright blood and the scores in the ground that Pride had carved. Looking up and around, it took a moment for me to remember the name of the town nearby. Gratz... Austria.

It took even longer for the terrible truth to sink in. _(Gone, gone, never coming back...)_

"Kid!" Liz cried over and over, pounding the ground with her fist. "Come back, dammit!" There were tears streaming down Patty's face as well, and she blankly patted her sister on the back as she stared with dead eyes at the crimson streak of her meister's pain on the ground. Tsubaki was sitting, gazing at nothing, shaking her head over and over as her body was racked with sobs.

A few tears slipped down my face as well, and my only thought was 'Gone. She's gone. She's gone and I can't get her back.' _(Gone, like a petal on the wind.)_

_(Gone.)_

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_Might revise the chapter before this, I'll warn you next chapter._

_**Kat**  
_


	8. Who & Where

_Lucky chapter! It's 8~_

_Answering ChopSuzi's question here, about intrusive questions. You cannot contain their curiosity 8D_

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**WHO AND WHERE** { Ed }

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled in Winry's direction before turning my gaze back to the trio. "So where're you from?"

"Death City," the girl answered immediately. "We're Academy students." The black-haired boy grimaced and looked away, and his partners shot inquisitive glances at him.

Raising an eyebrow I repeated, "Death City. And, uh, where is that exactly?"

"I told you we were sent to another world," the black-haired boy hissed at his friends, then looked back at me with a frown and asked, "What is this place? Where is 'Resembool'?"

"You don't know what country you're in? Are you sure you're from another world? What are your names even?" Winry was obviously having a little trouble keeping up. My mind, however, was going a million miles a minute. _(They're different, aren't they)_

_(If they're from another world, can they help us?)_

The blue-haired boy spoke up. "I AM THE MIGHTY BLACKSTAR, AND ALL OF YOU ARE BEN- mmphf!" The other boy had clapped his hand over BlackStar's mouth, golden eyes flaming with annoyance.

He hissed, "You're being rude!" then released the boy. Ignoring him for the moment, he continued, "I'm Kid, and this is Maka." Maka waved.

"I'm Edward. Are you guys from Xing?" I asked curiously.

"Xing? Is that like China?"

"BlackStar..."

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_BlackStar simply does not know how to shut up. XD Also, Kid has a secret... Review please~?_

_**Kat**  
_


	9. Pencils & Erasers

_Are we at chapter nine already? o3o_

_Enjoy~_

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**PENCILS AND ERASERS** { Maka }

It had been two weeks since we woke up at the Rockbell's. They still didn't understand the concept of Kishin eggs, and Kid's species was a topic we steered clear of.

We'd learned about alchemy, the strange magic that had sent us here, and the Elric brothers - Ed had a brother in an empty suit of armor - showed us a little before leaving for a place called 'Central' with the big beefy guy they called 'Major'. We'd been given wheelchairs, and BlackStar had been given temporary light metal 'hands' that were strapped around the stumps of his arms. They didn't move, and were just frozen in a position that allowed him to push the wheels of his wheelchair. Kid managed fine, and I was pretty bad at steering with just one hand so stayed in the house a lot.

Two weeks since I'd left Soul. He and the others must be half mad with worry... _(I'm gone, gone, didn't leave an explanation...)_ Winry approached me cautiously as I was brooding sadly over my partner._ (Probably thinks I'm dead)_ In her hands was a pad of paper and a few pencils. Placing it on my lap, she pursed her lips and said softly, "Let me know what you think" before walking away.

Staring after her curiously, I flipped it open with my right hand and gasped. Inside was a beautiful array of drawings, all of different angles and parts... of a metal arm. Flipping through, I gazed in rapture at all the designs for my arm and leg, and when Winry came back, I simply told her "I love it." _(Hope, hope, in pencils and paper)_

"Keep flipping."

And so I did. There were two hands, a foot, and two legs - for Kid and BlackStar. I loved them all. _(Make the legs symmetrical, might want to remind her of that)_ I raced outside to tell the others, wheels flying like I hoped my feet someday would again.

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_I've been getting a lot of questions about the length of these chapters, so here it is in a nutshell: They're minichapters, and I keep them under 500 words usually. It's like long drabbles. (See summary.) Plus, it allows me to update daily. 8D_

_**Kat**_


	10. Payment

_Heya. Tired, not in the mood for explanations = short AN._

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**PAYMENT** { Winry }

I followed Maka as she sped off in her wheelchair, crying "Wait!" _(Oh, crap, Granny's gonna see, she's not gonna like this...)_ See, I hadn't exactly told her I was showing Maka designs for automail, neither that I had drawn said designs at all. I was just trying to give them the option of what it looked like. They had said 'we'll do it', earlier when Ed had shown them his, but Granny had been under the impression that they were still in shock from all of their limb-loss and world-changing, so hadn't really taken their answer as sure fact.

Sure enough, Granny was sitting on the steps, and she narrowed her eyes as she saw Maka skidding up to where Kid and BlackStar were racing their wheelchairs and thrusting my sketchbook under their noses.

"Winry?" Granny's voice was sharp. "Care to explain?"

"Sorry," I panted. "I had been doodling out designs for automail, for them, when I showed Maka... I didn't think she'd be so eager..." Wincing, I readied myself for the verbal onslaught that was coming.

Granny set down her pipe and crossed her arms. "Eager? Winry, you know that they're still healing. It's only been two weeks since they got their limbs chopped off. I didn't take anything they said the day after that seriously, who would? Besides, they'll need to pay for it, and you know how much we charge for our automail."

_(Oops.)_

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_Going to sleep now. XP_

_**Kat**  
_


	11. To Find Work

_Hay. Things are coming to a boil in the plot, and it's the weekend... CELEBRATE!_

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**TO FIND WORK** { Kid }

We had, naturally, been able to hear Winry and Pinako's entire conversation, and I grimaced when I heard the words 'pay for it'. If only we had been home, and I had Father's reserves... but that wasn't possible here. _(We're far far away now.)_

Clearing my throat, I asked loudly, "What can we do to pay for it?" Both women turned around, surprised. "How did Ed pay for it?" I added, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well..." Winry fidgeted. "He joined the State Military as an alchemist."

"We don't know alchemy, and we're not interested in joining an army," Maka stated bluntly. "Can we work for you?"

"Sorry, Winry's my only helper." Pinako lit her pipe, sucked in, and blew out a few rings of smoke. I noted inwardly that she had as much talent as Stein with that sort of thing. Thinking of Stein made me think of stitches, and how he probably could have sewn us back together... but it was too late for that now.

Opening my mouth to speak, I stopped when faint footfalls registered to my keen reaper hearing. Maka and I had felt two particular souls approaching, and no doubt BlackStar had realized it as well with his assassin senses, so we were far from surprised; just cautious. Tensing slightly, I commented off-handedly, "Hi, Ed."

* * *

_I've found myself sketching out random adventure ideas and drabble-thingies on large notecards during boring classes. But for some reason, continuing the current plot just doesn't flow from the pen. XP Don't worry, I'm working the kinks out of my pre-written chapters..._

_**Kat**  
_


	12. Idea

_Did I really forget to update two days in a row?! *headdesk* Stupid Kat. I'm sorry XD School's a b****._

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**IDEA** { Edward }

Trudging up the road with Al and the Major by my side, I cursed my luck and glared down at my right arm. I had been without its use for almost two weeks now, and of all the frustrating things, this was probably one of the worst. Ever since it broke in the Fifth Laboratory, I had been banned from traveling until I healed, and Winry was too busy to come to Central. FINALLY, I got the all-clear, on the condition that Major Armstrong accompany us again.

As I was approaching, I caught the tail end of their conversation, and was about to butt in when Kid deadpanned, "Hi, Ed," without turning around.

"How'd you know it was me?" I complained, flopping down in the grass with my arm dangling in a sling in front of my chest. I glared at it, then turned my mind back to the apparent discussion at hand. "Also, what's the problem?"

"We sensed it," answered Maka mysteriously, shrugging under my questioning glance. "And we don't have the money to pay for automail."

Major Armstrong interrupted. "How terrible!" he boomed, tears flowing from his eyes as usual. "What a tradgedy, unable to walk to find your way home, without the money to pay for it!" He wiped a few tears from one eye melodramatically. "Of course, I would be more than happy to pay for it myself..."

* * *

_To clarify, this is FMAB. After his arm broke in the Fifth Laboratory, Winry never went to Central to fix it, and he had to wait in the hospital until he was healed to travel. I need to go re-read the plot because my memory is getting tangled up... however, the Dublith and Rush Valley arcs will most likely be completed without the SE crew, and they'll join back up... in a mysterious way... somehow... later..._

_(totally author lingo for 'I have no idea what I'm doing' X'D)_

_**Kat**  
_


	13. Ripples

_I have decided to insert random back-at-home POV. eDe Problem?_

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**RIPPLES** { Lord Death }

I knew it, the second he had disappeared. It sent a ripple through the fabric of the world, so faint only I could feel it, but it was enough to send me staggering in disbelief. _(No, no, what happened?)_ I had been talking with Spirit, Sid, Azusa, and BJ about possible plans for BREW and the key now that the Kishin was defeated, when the small comforting golden glow of my son's soul _(on the other side of the world, but I could feel it)_ winked out.

Losing balance, I tottered to the side and grabbed hold of my mirror to catch myself. It shattered, but stayed together. _(Like my heart.)_ As the Death Scythes, Sid, and BJ started to yell-ask questions, for a moment all I could gasp was "He's gone. They're gone. They're all gone."

_(Lost in a ripple of fate.)_ "Why are they gone?"

* * *

_I lie. This isn't totally random - it actually has some base in the plot. I'll be following a little mini-arc back in the SE world for a tiny while, just to make them desperate and stuff. Then the real fun back in the FMAB world begins..._

_**Kat**  
_


	14. Happy Shock

_I lie again. This story is fun to write~ So here you are, another surprise chappie! 8D_

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**HAPPY SHOCK** { BlackStar }

"You would?" Maka and I asked in unison, spinning around with what probably looked like stupid grins on our faces. "I mean, you have that kind of money?" Maka amended.

Armstrong puffed out his chest. Even more. "Of course!"

"The Armstrongs are one of the richest families in Amestris," Ed supplied helpfully. "And funds for State Alchemists can pay for at least one automail easily."

Kid bowed his head. "We would be eternally grateful for such a generous gift," he accepted calmly, but I could see the barely-suppressed excitement flickering in his eyes. "You must allow us to repay you, at least a little, in some way."

Pondering this a moment, Armstrong rumbled, "It is a gift. However, there is one thing I would appreciate you doing for me. You'll need to be tested, of course, once you've adjusted to the automail." The three of us leaned forward almost imperceptibly, tense. "It would be quite the sufficient payback to me if you consent to being tried in front an examiner, stamped with their mark of approval, and then..." I widened my eyes slightly, hoping it was something exciting.

"- Guard Edward Elric for me!"

* * *

_Plot twists galore. Credit to Demon Raily for coming up with this! (And for helping me with a lot of my messy plot... :'D)_

_**Kat**  
_


	15. Whatever It Takes

_Ermahgerd how could I xux I didn't update yesterday! *le gasp* Fear not, dear readers, I am here again. AAAUUUUGGGHH. (Toph~ 8D The Ember Island Players version. I. Could. Not. Stop. Laughing.)_

* * *

**WHATEVER IT TAKES** { Alphonse }

I watched, a little startled by the Major's proposition, as several more extreme reactions took place. Kid's eyebrows shot up so far they disappeared behind his bangs; Maka frowned and smiled at the same time; BlackStar twisted around to stare at Ed; and Brother himself let his jaw drop as he sat up swiftly, staring in disbelief at Armstrong.

"I don't need guarding!" he protested vehemently.

"Then why is he here?" BlackStar pointed out, jerking his head at the Major.

I kept quiet, holding back a giggle as Brother's cheeks grew tomato-red and he started spluttering out answers and excuses to Armstrong. "C'mon, they're nice and all, but I don't need guards, I can watch me and Al, don't make them-"

"We'll do it." Everyone turned back to Maka, who shared a few nods with her friends. "We'll do whatever it takes."

For a moment, memories flashed before my eyes - Mustang leaving, Granny scorning the military, Ed's reply -

_(I'll do whatever it takes.)_

* * *

_He actually said that. Check out the FMA OVA 'Simple People'. You can find it on iTunes c:_

_**Kat**  
_


	16. Details Details

_Back again~ 8D I'm tired, and I was gonna leave you hanging for an extra day, but I decided against it... BE HAPPY. C:_

* * *

**DETAILS DETAILS** { Maka }

Kid cut in smoothly, "What about this military of yours? Will they really be so eager to allow strangers to guard one of their important alchemists?" I frowned. He had a good point.

"Don't you worry," rumbled Armstrong. "My family has close ties with a military examiner. He'll assess you and decide whether you're adequate in skill and strength to accompany Edward."

"How long will this guarding last?" I added.

Ed tapped his chin. "I wouldn't want you around forever, no offense. But I suppose... if you know stuff from your world that could help us, I could stand to have you tagging along for a few months."

We all agreed on that, and Winry and Granny decided to start surgery tomorrow. I quivered in my wheelchair, one thought running through my mind - _When I get back, Soul's gonna murder me._

* * *

**_Kat_**


	17. Truly Lost

_Well, I thought we needed another POV from the SE world. They're all having meltdowns C:_

* * *

**TRULY LOST** { Spirit }

"Gone? Do you mean Kid?" I asked nervously. _(He said they're ALL gone.)_ No, no, Maka can't be gone. Strong little Maka.

Something flickered to life on the cracked mirror - a call. _(My daughter, oh please...)_ I answered.

"Hello? Lord Death?"

It was Soul! As much as I hated the octopus, he stuck with Maka, so he could tell me what was going on. Seeing as Lord Death was still frozen, I replied, "It's Spirit. Something's wrong with Lord Death, he says Kid is gone. Is Maka there?"

No reply. _(No...)_

"Kid's gone. So are Maka and BlackStar." The boy's voice cracked on his meister's name. My daughter.

_(NO...)_

* * *

_There. They're all sad C: Don't worry, I'll update again today, with some surgery preparation 8D Oh, and Kid's big secret may or may not be revealed._

_**Kat**  
_


	18. Truth Sinks In

_I lied, didn't I? *headdesk* I totally forgot that I hadn't uploaded this last night until just now when I was reformatting chapter 19 and realized 18 hadn't been added. Sorry. XD_

* * *

**TRUTH SINKS IN** { Kid }

Maka, BlackStar, and I shared the guest room, all sleeping on small cots that weren't necessarily comfortable. I lay awake, staring at the wall in the darkness, when I heard a creak that meant someone had maneuvered themselves into a wheelchair and was leaving. Maka, by the emptiness of sound from her bed. I ignored it - maybe she was going to the bathroom?

What sparked my attention was when BlackStar did the same thing, a few minutes later. Sighing quietly through my nose, I waited a moment then with some difficulty flopped over into my own wheelchair and rolled out. I found both of them in the living room; they had slid out of their chairs and were sitting on the floor.

"I-I miss him." Maka's voice cracked. She was holding something in her hands.

I slid down as well and we sat in that little circle. She'd lit a candle, and by the soft light I saw that she was holding a wallet-like object. Peering closer, I was startled to find it was a tiny picture book - full of photos of us. Me and the girls, BlackStar face-down on the pavement with a smoking book-shaped dent in his head, Tsubaki fretting, Soul being pulled into a side-hug with Maka, Soul and BlackStar, BlackStar and myself, all three of us, a few with Stein and Spirit and my father, and eventually the group picture. A drop of water landed on the plastic covering and I could tell without even looking that Maka was crying.

"We'll see them again," BlackStar reassured softly. I didn't think it was even possible. "We'll get our arms and legs and whatever, we'll spend a few months rehabili-whatevering, then we'll travel this country with Ed and find some magicky alchemy to get us back."

I gazed down at the stumps of my legs. One was cut off three centimeters above the other, yet surprisingly I couldn't bring myself to do more than grit my teeth and clench my fists in frustration about it. Then there was my secret, what we'd been planning to tell the others after defeating Pride but obviously couldn't now. It weighed heavily on my mind, but I didn't let it slow me down. I couldn't afford it: The other two needed me, just as they needed each other and I needed them. We were a team and had to be inseperable. Permanently so.

"I miss Tsubaki." BlackStar's admission was so quiet I thought it was Maka who had said it, but I wasn't surprised to hear the assassin say it.

"I miss the girls," I sighed as well. "And my father."

Maka let out a choked sob again, and small noises from BlackStar told me that he was crying silently as well. "I m-miss Papa," she sniffled. "It's st-stupid, he was- I h-hated him, but n-now that we're here I-I miss him."

I put one arm around her shoulder and the other around BlackStar's, and I felt him do the same. Finally Maka's good arm looped over the assassin's back, and her stump locked as much as possible around the back of my neck, and I squeezed my own grip to keep it there. Eventually, I let a single tear drop as well.

"We'll find a way back."

* * *

_Kid's big secret shall be revealed next chapter, promise._

_**Kat**  
_


	19. Secrets and Lies

_Haha! It's chapter 20, and the big reveal! :D_

_I'm thinking of changing my pen name again. *headdesk* Is that even allowed? Eh, DarkKittehKat is starting to sound tacky. I might just change it to 'Kat' with some fancy letters. c:_

ANONYMOUS REVIEW- Cosmo: I AM. ANSWER ON MAGIC WINGS, DAMMIT.

_Right. Secret._

* * *

**SECRETS AND LIES **{ Maka }

Kid, BlackStar, and I sat together in a small sort-of circle, out of our wheelchairs again. We'd fallen asleep in that little circle.

"How long do we have to wait again?" BlackStar asked for probably the fourteenth time. I rolled my eyes,

"A few minutes. Winry is fetching extra metal parts."

Kid looked up, an unreadable expression on his face. "In that case, we might as well talk. I-..." He hesitated. "I've been hiding something. Liz, Patty, and I- well it was my idea, my father is behind it though- agreed that maybe it was time we left." I turned a questioning gaze on him, but didn't interrupt. "After the Kishin's attack, my father and I came to the realization that training... for me... is going to become a lot more strenuous. I won't have time for much else." His golden eyes, usually hard and emotionless, were filled with a sort of sad acceptance.

"We're leaving the Academy."

* * *

_Dun dun dun. 8D_

_**Kat**  
_


	20. A Weapon's Duty

_Hay~! Sorry for the confusion, I said yesterday something along the lines of 'it's chapter twenty!' I know. Whoops. But guess what? You should be happy I made that mistake, because otherwise this would have been the reveal of Kid's secret! :D 'Cept I got the names of the documents mixed up. Sooo... what you got was chapter twenty, and this is chapter nineteen. XD In other words, I'm torturing you~_

* * *

**A WEAPON'S DUTY** { Tsubaki }

I sobbed into my hands. The tears wouldn't stop, someone had forced some water down my throat at some point, but ever since the extraction there was constant wetness on my cheeks. I refused to believe BlackStar was dead. But, his hands... and his foot..._ (Such pain, even for him)_

Since we had been resonating the moment Pride had... done the unspeakable act, I felt a brief flash of pain through our link, and knew it was probably only a tenth of what he had actually endured. Someone had been questioning us, maybe Nygus, I couldn't recall, but I remembered Liz choking out that she hadn't felt anything, and that Soul had said the pain was blinding. Translating this in my mind, I knew it meant that Maka had been resonating openly with her weapon; BlackStar had sensed it coming and tried to cut ours off, but only suceeded mostly; and Kid had managed to shield his partners completely. He'd beared the pain alone.

I remembered Soul's call with Lord Death, Spirit's utterly broken face after the news had been delivered, the horrified aura the Reaper had been giving off, palpable even here. Then our extraction had arrived in helicopters, taking us back to the DWMA and to the hospital wing. All I knew was that a weapon's duty is to protect their meister with their lives, and my meister had shielded me instead.

_(I failed.)_

* * *

_Automail surgery might start next chapter, but first I need to consult with my plot adviser. DemonRailey? Help? ^^; XD Oh, you too, Cosmo._

_**Kat**  
_


	21. A Question

_Sorry for the slow update. Taking a break to work out some details in the plot and whatnot. A huge round of applause and thanks is due to DemonRaily, without whom this story would have been trashed long ago. C:_

_And now, a Soul Eater world POV that's more than just shell-shocked depressing reactions!_

* * *

**A QUESTION** { Liz }

As soon as Soul could be dragged, kicking and slashing, from the bloody circle; Tsubaki could be woken from her shell-shocked, sobbing trance; and Sid had gotten Patty to stop pointing me threateningly at everything around her besides the other two weapons, we had been transported via helicopter and plane back to the DWMA. An emergency meeting had been held immediately upon our return. Seated around a long conference table in the stormy gray Death Room were Lord Death, Spirit, Sid, Azusa, Marie, BJ, Soul, Tsubaki, Patty, and myself.

"What happened?" Sid asked, voice low and urgent. "Tell us the entire thing, start to finish."

Seeing as I was the only one out of the four that could formulate appropriate words, I cleared my throat, wiped the tear tracks away, and started in a hoarse but controlled whisper. "We were fighting that- that _thing_. Pride. That's what he called himself. He can summon shadows around him, blades that cut through everything but us weapons." I stammered on 'everything', and beside me I felt Soul shudder. "There was something off about him the whole time. Kid and Maka could sense it, I think- it was a little confusing. Then... we tried a combo." I swallowed and lowered my gaze. Soul picked up my trail.

"BlackStar and Tsubaki were restraining the bastard, then Maka and I tried hitting him with Genie Hunter just before Kid shot him with Death Cannon," the albino weapon continued in a low mutter. "He freaked and... lashed out. None of us saw it coming, how could we? It was faster than we could see, faster than Kid could see. One minute they were standing and the next..."

Patty finished harshly, "We hit the floor. Pride's shadows kept us from transforming, while more of 'em drew a funky circle 'round Kid n' the other two. Then some creepy-ass white bastard with a long black ponytail walked up and clapped his hands, then put 'em on the ground at the edge of the circle. Blue lightning n' stuff covered them, then they were gone."

A heavy silence fell. No-one spoke. I almost wished they would, to distract me from the heavy though weighing on my soul, on all of our soul's.

_(What if they didn't make it?)_

_(And where did they go?!)_

* * *

_Next chapter will feature a long and lengthy author's note explaining some of the details that will hopefully clear up the plot a little more._

_**Kat**  
_


	22. Elephants

_Yeah. Whoops. ^^; I took a break, and I blame school. SOO. Turns out lengthy AN will be in the **next** chapter. I promise~ XD So yeah. One more SE POV for you. Oh, and this one is in third person! 8D Just this chapter. Never again, unless it's Patty. I can't write her in first person. Idk why._

_I'm cosplaying as Merlin for Halloween~ :3 It's gonna be fun. *dances*_

* * *

**ELEPHANTS** { Patty }

Among giraffes and ponies, Patty's unhealthy obsessions with animals included elephants. She and Liz had always been cats, pretty kitties with sharp claws. After a while, Kid became a cat too. But Maka was a pony, Soul was a pony, Lord Death was a giraffe, and BlackStar and Tsubaki were elephants. That was the way her world worked.

Now what had been three little kitties was only two, and Patty blamed that little bastard, Pride. He'd cut two of her kitty's legs out from under him and sent him away. That did not stand. No-one touched Patty's kitty.

The meeting dragged on, and Patty commented, but her eyes flamed with rage that would only be quenched by finding Kid again. It was an all-consuming drive, her purpose. She didn't listen to Lord Death's shaky announcement about classes 'continuing as usual' and the four of them taking a break, or Spirit's sobs, or Soul's wobbly stumble back through the Death Room, or Liz half-dragging Tsubaki for her to come spend a few nights at Gallows Manor. She followed her sister blindly.

If she ever saw that ugly bastard of a monster again, she would kill him with her bare hands. Probably cut off all his arms and legs and shadows, then carve a few angry messages on his back with a knife.

Whatever it took to get Kid back.

* * *

**_Kat_**


	23. Job Interviews?

FLASHBACK TIME~

* * *

**JOB INTERVIEWS?** { Maka }

_"So," Edward scowled. He'd approached us after Armstrong's agreement. "I wanted to ask you guys a few things. Y'know, since you'll be sticking with me for a while."_

_Kid and I exchanged wary looks, but BlackStar was snoring. "Okay," I agreed slowly._

_Flopping down on the porch bench in front of us, Ed opened one eye lazily and drawled, "So where're you from? What's your world like?"_

_I considered a moment. "It's... eccentric, compared to this one. Plus we're in the future there. Compared to here, I mean. It was the year 2012 when we were sent here."_

_"Two thousand and twelve?" he exclaimed. "Jeez. What makes it so eccentric?"_

_"We're meisters." I couldn't help but puff out my chest a bit. "Our school, Death Weapon Meister Academy - or just DWMA - is an organization to protect peace."_

_"Then why the name 'death'?"_

_Kid stepped in. "Our principal is the- well, his nickname is the Grim Reaper," he backtracked a little. I was confused for a moment - why would Kid lie? Then I saw the tiny glance he shot me that said 'we'll talk later'. Thank God BlackStar was asleep, he'd give us away in an instant. "His real name is secret. That's part of the eccentricity. Oh, and the school is named 'Death' because … it's a pretty harsh boarding school." He winced, but I could see it was fake. "Only top students go there. We're trained in martial arts, and on a solo field trip our team ran into Pride. We thought we could take him, but..."_

_Ed puzzled this over for a minute. "Interesting. Well, guess that's enough for now." He stood and stretched, then left. BlackStar woke up and looked around sleepily._

_"Did I miss sum'thin'?"_

* * *

Yep. Fun times. 8D

**_Kat_**


	24. Beliefs In A Strange World

Eh. Yeah. Guess I'm doing flashbacks until I can figure out what the f*ck I'm doing for the surgery.

* * *

**BELIEFS IN A STRANGE WORLD** { Kid }

_Once Ed had left and BlackStar was fully conscious, Maka leaned towards me and asked seriously, "Why are you lying?"_

_I did a quick check with my Soul Perception just to make sure we were alone, then sighed and answered. "It's- just a hunch, really. When he told us about equivalent exchange he mentioned Truth-" I smirked "-and they didn't seem to be on the best terms. Truth is a God, similar to myself in a sense. Nobody here worships the Grim Reaper." I grimaced. "For me to reveal... it would be too complicated."_

_"Oh." They were both quiet, then BlackStar huffed, "I've been thinking. Would metal hands make my Soul Wave attack more powerful or weaker?"_

_I was glad to turn to a different subject. "Well, metal conducts electricity well, and that's the basic form of a soul wavelength attack." I puzzled over this a moment. "It could go either way, I suppose."_

_"And weapons?" Maka added. "I don't know what I'll do."_

_"Ed can transmute you a scythe," I suggested. "Or..." I hesitated to tell her about her weapon capabilities; her father was supposed to explain that to her. I might as well. "We'll figure out something. Guns are out of the question, in this era... I can make do with blades."_

_This spiralled into a lengthy discussion about weapon techniques between BlackStar and myself. The upcoming surgery was all but forgotten._

* * *

I'll probably skip most of the details on the surgery. :3

_**Kat**_


	25. You Think You Know Pain?

_Okie, done with the flashbacks. For now... C:_

_Another Kid POV. :D Can the world get any greater?_

* * *

**YOU THINK YOU KNOW PAIN?** { Kid }

I bit my tongue accidentally as Winry wheeled me away from the living room. Had it been the right decision, telling those two? I suppose I had no way of knowing. All things considered, it probably hadn't been very wise. But there was no taking it back now.

"Say," I mentioned off-handedly to Winry. "You're shaving off some skin, right? To get to the nerves so you can attach them to the ports?"

She looked a little startled. "Uh, yeah."

"I've been thinking for awhile." I knew my eyes had taken on that faraway look Liz and Patty told me about when I started my musings. "I've been wondering something, for a while now... You see, my stumps aren't even." I gestured to my legs (or lack thereof) for emphasis.

"Yes..." Winry agreed slowly, not quite sure what I was going for.

I took a breath and regarded her calmly. "Can you make them symmetrical?"

* * *

_Oh, Kid. /shakes head and facepalms/. This is a nod to DemonRaily. Thanks much for the help, m'dear. /nods/ Oh, and who knows what the title's from? C:_

_**Kat**  
_


	26. I'll Make You Long

_Kay, quick update cuz I'm bored - _

IlliaLife: I actually do know that. XD I am one of the biggest Soul Eater nerds out there. I've seen all the anime, read all the manga, etc etc. (Read the fanfiction... most of my stories are SE.) I know all about Kid's regeneration. The truth is, this follows the anime plotline, not the manga. So in this story things are a little different. C: For the sake of my story idea Kid cannot regenerate his legs. That clear it up?

_Actually, everyone bow down to IlliaLife. I took her review as a blow to my reputation as a SE-otaku, so I decided the only way to answer promptly was to add another chapter. XD Oh, and also answering her question - the matter of Ed's and the other FMA character's souls may come to light soon. Very soon..._

* * *

**I'LL MAKE YOU LONG** { Winry }

I was a little taken aback. "Um." We'd arrived in the surgery room, and Granny had caught the tail end of our conversation.

"You want us to cut off more of your leg?" she asked sharply. "What's the point in that?"

I could see Kid was struggling not to- well, I'm not sure. He looked on the verge of crying, or yelling, or laughing, or all three. "It's- they're not-" he choked. "They're not balanced." His golden eyes blinked rapidly, pleadingly up at me. I was confused. This wasn't at all the calm, stoic type I'd taken him for.

Sniggers sounded from a few rooms over, and BlackStar called loudly, "HE'S GOT OCD!"

"OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER! SYMMETRY!" Maka added. I rolled my eyes. Really?

In the end, we (Granny and I) decided to shave off a little extra, but not too much or the nerves would be too traumatized to go on with the surgery. Kid - after a lot of complaining and yelling, mostly at the other two - relented with a kicked-puppy look that made me want to both laugh and cave to his pleas. And thus began the surgery.

* * *

_DemonRaily - commence discussion on topics mentioned in above AN. (Sorry about not answering the last review you left - school's a bitch, I'm busy~)_

_**Kat**  
_


	27. For Something Sweet As Pain

_Shoot me. I keep meaning to update daily, then I... get sidetracked? ^^; Anywho, we're starting the surgery. CX_

* * *

**FOR SOMETHING SWEET AS PAIN **{ Winry }

It's never my favorite part, the surgery. Sure, I can stomach blood and gore, and the agonizing attaching of the nerves doesn't make me turn green. The thing I hate most is seeing the person I'm operating on in pain. Seeing Ed have to go through that was terrible. It felt like he was suffering at my hands, despite the fact it wasn't out of malicious intent. These kids... I don't know them, but it's almost as bad.

After all, we saved their lives. I have a feeling they'll pay it back.

But this kid - this, eh, Kid - totally shattered all the stereotypes I can remember about reactions. Grown men scream their lungs out while undergoing the burning agony. Ed had yelled and screeched almost as much, surprising for a 11-year-old boy. And now... Kid. He didn't scream, didn't beg for it to stop, just bit down on his lip 'till he drew blood and screwed his eyes as tight as they could possibly be.

All I ever heard were whimpers and groans as Granny and I slowly peeled back the skin of his stumps, attatched nerves to metal conductors and started the grueling task of melding metal with flesh. He screamed once; when we chopped off a bit of bone, on his request to make them more even. It took a surprising amount of force to get the bone off - Granny made me remember to remind her later to ask him why. It was like his bones were white, opaque diamond. He dented one of our surgical saws.

Once, during one of our breaks, in which Granny and I had paused for lunch and a drink of water, I remember him gasping this: "This is worse than... being stabbed through the heart."

"Most imagine that is so," Granny replied gravely. "However, no-one alive knows how that feels like."

"I do," he panted. "It's happened to me... twice..." Then he blacked out.

Just who is he? What is he?

* * *

_Another Winry POV. Oh, and who knows where I got the quote that is the title for this and the last chapter? CX_

_**Kat**_


	28. One Down, Two To Go

_Eh. I'm back ^^; Don' kill meh D:_

* * *

**ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO **{ Maka }

I think I came close to throwing up, having to listen to the barely audible sounds of pain emitting from the other room. That one scream, and the resounding crack that presumably caused it, made me jump out of my skin. It was one of the scariest, worst things I've ever endured. Blame the nervous anticipation.

BlackStar's was only slightly better, because the guy had annoyed me to no end during the week we'd spent moping around waiting our turn, and his first few screams didn't make me go green and want to hurl. The next five days were torture. I was the last one.

I can't even begin to describe the sensation. The pure, unbridled agony that comes with having steel stabbed into your nerves and metal screwed cruelly into your flesh is indescribable. I know I screamed far more than my two counterparts. On and on went the pain, only brief respites that I spent in a daze, unable to form a coherent thought. Sometimes I think I forgot my own name.

Then it was over, and we spent half a month just healing, lying in beds and being spoon-fed by Winry. (It was rather humiliating, looking back.) Another week was spent making sure that our tissue was handling the ports correctly and the placement was still fixed. And then came the painful part, according to my blonde friend. (If what we just went through wasn't the painful part, I shuddered to think what was.)

Turns out the painful part is attatching the limbs. Ed, that bastard, he'd made the attatchment seem like a small stab wound, instead of fifty cold spikes driving all at once into my stumps. I like to think my screams were audible wherever he was. Pssh. They sure were loud enough.

* * *

_Just some quick narration to get the boring part over with, then we get on to the real fun!_

_I've found myself addicted to FMAxHP crossovers lately. o3o I thought about writing one, then thought 'Nah, my price to pay readers would kill you. Don't do it Kat!'_

_Meh. I'll do it someday =w=_

_**Kat**  
_


	29. Worth It

**WORTH IT** { BlackStar }

Ow.

That was my brilliant comment on the overall experience of getting automail, and it stands to this day: Ow.

Of course, 'ow' doesn't even begin to describe it. It's more like the most horrible scream you've ever heard times ten million. At least that's the comparison I planned on telling Tsubaki, once this was all over.

Rehab was the worst. It took me forever to learn to even hold an ordinary object like a cup again. At first it would slip out of my hands and shatter, so we (me and Maka) started practicing with metal ones. Then I had to be careful to measure my strength so I wouldn't crumple it like it was paper. Forget writing - I wasn't going to be doing handstands for a while. I did push-ups though, just to keep in shape, but Winry whacked me with a wrench if I pushed myself too far.

We all had to learn how to walk again, and that was even worse than holding a cup. Sometimes Kid would start coughing up blood; he had it far worse than the two of us, having the majority of both legs missing. At least I was only down one foot, and Maka's was cut off below the knee. It took us a good four months to regain the ability to walk, and another month for running and more acrobatic stuff.

'Twas worth it.

* * *

_Okay, okay, one more chapter of nonsense filler stuff, and then I PROMISE chapter 31 will be the beginning of the Assessment. *waggles spooky fingers* BEWAAAARE~_

_Hey DemonRaily, review/PM me when you see this. There's a certain part of the next chapter I'd like to ask you about before adding it..._

_**Kat**  
_


	30. Upside-Down

_Meh. I blame school for the slower updates. But, got the ridiculousness factor in this chapter worked out with DemonRaily (my savior! *bows*), so it's more believable now. You'll see what I mean. ;)_

* * *

**UPSIDE-DOWN** { Kid }

BlackStar had regaled us with some stupid rant as we were training one day about how the word he's use to tell Tsubaki what automail surgery was like was 'Ow'. I personally thought it was a rather inaccurate and stupid description of our pain, but it gave us a little cheer nontheless. The fact that we were joking about how to tell our partners how agonizing it was to recieve fake metal limbs at least showed us how determined we were. And loathe as I am to admit it, the analogy was rather fitting.

Personally I found rehab the most frustrating out of all of us. Sure, I didn't have to re-learn how to eat or hold things, make a fist, punch, etc. But while Maka and BlackStar progressed quickly in walking re-hab by hobbling and hopping around on their good feet, I was stuck sitting on the porch steps and flexing the metal appendages. At first I only managed to walk a few paces before collapsing (at first ensuing an onslaught of worried yelling courtesy of my two teammates), but over time it got easier. I found moving at the godly speed I once found easy had become excruciatingly hard - it was only by overexerting the muscles I had left in my upper thighs that I was able to go faster than BlackStar at all. Even then, it was for a pitiful amount of time.

I had almost given up in exasperation when BlackStar snorted and suggested I run on my hands. At first I scoffed and turned it aside, finding it a ridiculous solution, but after some conditioning, I found walking in a handstand position actually wasn't that hard. The next step, of course, was running. To my surprise, this also didn't pose much of a challenge after some practice. I'm sure it looked ridiculous - a Grim Reaper dashing about with his feet in the air, BlackStar never stopped laughing for a day straight - but it worked. My legs were heavy as hell, and I couldn't keep up the handstand-running for long, but again; what other options did I have? For quick catch-ups with the enemy, as well as surprise attacks, it would suit me just fine.

It took us five and a half months in rehab to become battle-ready once again. Winry said we'd broken Ed's record in half. By the time our assessment with Armstrong's man came, it was almost winter. Records aside, we had a lot of work ahead of us.

* * *

_XD Yush. I went there. Handstand-walking. It's actually not going to be used that often, just for comic relief and surprise attacks X3_

_Drop me a review, my lovely readers~ I'm sorry I don't reply that often anymore, I only really respond to direct questions lately. ('Will you update soon' doesn't count.) But I still need your love and appreciation! *throws self at feet, sobbing*_

_Yeap. See ya next time, for ... *drumroll* THE ASSESSMENT! Dun dun dun._

_**Kat**  
_

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	31. The Assessment

**THE ASSESSMENT** { Maka }

I think we were all more worried about the assessment than we let on. Ed looked like our only - or most likely - ticket back home, and the only way to spend time working with him was to accompany him everywhere he went. We'd received word that he was currently in Central, and Winry had gone to a place called Rush Valley as a gift from her Granny to study and get an apprenticeship. All of us were a little sad to see her go, even if BlackStar and Kid wouldn't admit it.

Finally our turn came, and we were being shipped by train to Central. It was our first experience actually going somewhere other than the tiny town of Resembool, but we'd gone through enough re-hab to be almost as battle-ready as we had been the day we met Pride. Thankfully trains weren't that different, so it was easy to navigate.

And then, there we were; Central City. Major Armstrong picked us up at the station and brought us straight to Central Command, where our assessor was waiting.

"Hey, you feel that?" I elbowed Kid in the side and whispered in his ear as we walked. He aimed a sharp glance at me; I'd used my left, automail, arm - and the thin fabric of my jacket did nothing to soften the blow.

Opting to follow Ed's sense of fashion, BlackStar and I wore gloves - his being the ninja style he always used to wear, but covering his fingers. I always used to wear gloves anyways. Our outfits had, naturally, changed: I switched from my usual skirt to a more practical pair of flexible short shorts, as well as a white cloak, white dress shirt, less flashy black boots, and bandages wrapping from the ankle up to my knee to conceal my automail (hey, it looked cool). BlackStar kept his high-collared tanktop, but donned bandages up his forearms as well, and wore boots (also less flashy) with his old stars on them and loose black shorts. Kid decided to mix his appearance up a bit- only a bit, mind you. With black shiny pants that matched Ed's, a white dress shirt, and black bandages around his wrist just so we matched, he didn't actually look much different.

"Hello!" A jovial blonde man with the typical Armstrong set of curled-cowlick-plus-baby-blue-eyes greeted us as we walked into the hall. I glanced around warily: The multiplicity I'd sensed was getting stronger. Something was wrong with Central HQ.

"Hi," BlackStar shouted back, seeing as Kid and I had fallen silent. He raised an eyebrow at the two of us, but we shrugged him off.

"My name is Evan Armstrong, and I'll be assessing you," he continued as if we hadn't just given him the cold shoulder. Catching me as I rolled my eyes, he said amusedly, "I married into the family. It's just luck that my eyes are what they are, and I curl this-" he flicked his cowlick "-every morning." Then he turned crisply on his heel, blue military outfit flapping around his ankles. "Follow me. We'll be conducting this assessment outside." We followed dubiously.

Kid fell into step beside me. If I payed attention and knew which sound I was looking for, I could hear the faint clacking of metal gears as he walked; the same from my own leg. BlackStar dropped in on my other side, and we subconsciously formed our little defensive triangle. I was in point; Kid to my right; BlackStar to my left. Habit, I suppose, from the Academy.

Evan stopped, and our team paused as well, automatically falling into a more defensive stance. The lieutenant smirked as he saw this, and continued speaking loudly about 'rules of conduct' or something. Ha. If we'd learned anything from Ed, it was that he definitely didn't care for the courteous rules of battle - and Academy students didn't really either. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a few men in blue military outfits seat themselves casually about a hundred feet away. Great; more critical foreign eyes.

"As I was saying..." Evan coughed, and I turned my attention back to him. "There are three parts; first, my brother-in-law will launch obstacles and projectiles at you, to see how well you perform in self-defense, defense of others, agility and speed." Pink sparkles wafted into my line of vision courtesy of Major Armstrong, but I ignored them. "Second; you will duel an alchemist to measure your combative skill and knowledge of how to fight alchemy. Third; you will duel each other."

I raised my eyebrows, but a part of me crowed in delight at getting to throw a punch at BlackStar.

"Begin!"

At once, the Major's shirt was off and pink sparkles rained down around him. Punching the ground, he let off a wave of blue electricity. My team and I tensed, and all three of our senses extended to pick up the tiniest indication of attack. We'd been working on reflexes a lot since Pride and that awful day we'd been almost mortally wounded (considering the amount of blood). Then, after a moment of suspense, the ground sprung to life. A spike (dulled, I noticed, but still dangerous) shot up beneath my feet and I automatically launched forwards into a neat handspring, then turned and flipped again as a dozen Armstrong heads blazed an inch away from my ear.

Glancing to the side, I watched for moment as BlackStar spun and jumped, often simply punching the projectiles until they crumbled. I didn't doubt the fact he could have done it even before automail. Averting my eyes to check on Kid, I felt a flash of amusement as he fought much in the same way BlackStar had against him, so long ago; hands in his pockets, a cocky grin on his face. After almost a minute straight of this, I looked back again just in time to see him launch forward about ten feet over a field of spikes to flip and land neatly on his hands. He stayed only a moment, wanting to save that surprise for later - then doing a one-handed-handstand, pivoted and flipped back onto his feet. He landed just in time to cross his arms defensively in front of his face and catch a stray Armstrong head.

Admiring this for a moment, I almost got brained by a flying spike, and glared at BlackStar for sending it my way. (I resolved to hit him twice as hard later.) Finally, after ten solid minutes, the attacks ceased and Evan called a break. It was unnecessary, really; our breathing was only slightly deepened. It was a tiny bit heartening, seeing our stamina back to what it was back in our world, but one would expect so after five and a half hard months of struggling through rehab.

"Alright then." Evan masked his surprise well. "On to the second part. Major?"

The Major's muscles inflated like a balloon and he snorted smoke out his nose. Without even thinking, we retreated into that same triangle, each in tense ready stances. Charging us like a bull, the Major began slamming his fists against the ground. Time slowed down, and my heartbeat rang in my ears as my eyes widened and my breathing quickened in anticipation. Brushing a finger lightly against Kid's left arm and nudging BlackStar with my foot, I communicated a silent message: Flank him.

In an instant, the two boys whirled away while I stayed put and faced the bald head rushing towards me. At the last possible second, I flipped up and over him. His burly size kept barrelling on, too much momentum to skid to a stop. BlackStar and Kid swooped in on either side, knocking him back and forth twice. Then they darted away before he could land a hit.

We worked together as a cohesive unit, flitting in and out like birds, attacking and withdrawing before the Major could retaliate. Once he almost landed a hit on me with a spike, opening a small cut on my right arm, but I barely noticed it. My teammates tightened their flank on me almost imperceptibly. I smiled to myself - they'd never admit it, and neither would I, but when one of us recieves even a small scratch the rest attack that much fiercer.

It took almost eight minutes of relentless fighting - quite a lot for us, the elite DWMA team that was used to finishing off an enemy in extra-short battles - but eventually it was over with a nice spectacular finish. BlackStar and I swept his feet out from under him, BlackStar pinned his hands to the floor so he couldn't transmute, I tied a steel rope that the Major had actually used on us around his feet, and Kid had formed shiny glowing skulls on his forearms and were holding the sharp pointy ends to alchemist's throat.

Evan's jaw had dropped, and so did the Major's. We were three skinny kids, albeit with more muscle than the regular fifteen-year-old, launched from another world, put through automail surgery, and emerging from rehab after only six months. And now here we were, only seven minutes and twenty seconds into a fight with an experienced State Alchemist and we had him on the floor.

"Well," stammered Evan, "I believe that concludes part two. Do you need a break?"

Kid let the skulls evaporate and turned to the assessor, dusting his hands off. "Of course not." I evened my breathing and nodded. I could keep going for ages, we all could.

"Then begin."

This time we hesitated, only because our bodies were still bent into protect-each-other mode. Then I sprang into action, thinking to surprise BlackStar, but of course they got over their indecision just as quickly. We crashed together in the middle, and suddenly it was a war zone. Kid reconjured the skulls, locking them together and blocking hits then side-swiping lightning fast at me. More than once there was a loud clang as an attack reverberated off a metal limb.

"Don't hold back!" BlackStar yelled, dodging my punch with ease. I humphed and kicked him in the face. He skidded back, cursing, and only ducked just in time to save his neck from the sharp edge of Kid's skulls. "I'm pulling out all the stops!" he threatened.

"Not all," reprimanded Kid, shooting the both of us a stern look. "We're not telling all of our secrets."

BlackStar scoffed, "Of course not," then missed Kid by a hair as he blasted his soul wavelength out through his hand.

Deciding to at least practice one small move, I created two-foot-long blades extending from my forearms; something Kid had taught me during rehab. If I hid it right, it looked just like what Ed did to his automail arm. That in mind, I reduced it to only one arm, my automail arm. Unfortunately I couldn't form a blade out of the metal, only the flesh directly above it, but it worked out. "Watch it, BlackStar!" I found myself all but screaming angrily as an jet of soul electricity arced over our heads and struck the ground next to Evan, who jumped.

I turned to see BlackStar's hands caught between Kid's skulls. It was only the metal of the automail that kept them from being cut off. As I watched, BlackStar aimed a kick at his captor, which the reaper dodged at the expense of letting the assassin's hands go. They battled it out for about thirty seconds before I rejoined the fray.

The end was quick and unexpected. Suddenly my blade was at BlackStar's throat, his wavelength-attack-ready hands positioned inches from my side and Kid's, and Kid had a skull pointed at my temple and one in between BlackStar's eyes. A tie. We froze, then stepped back and started laughing.

"That was pretty good," Kid acknowledged, brushing the skulls off his arms so they dissolved in the air. Then he bowed Japanese-style, and so did we: Proper respect after a match.

"It was sloppy." BlackStar huffed and crossed his arms.

"Since when do you care about sloppy?" I teased.

"E-excuse me." Evan's voice broke through our thoughts, and we turned. The Major and his brother-in-law were both staring with wide grins on their faces.

Letting his muscles bulge, the Major cried, "That was beautiful!"

"You showed amazing skill," agreed Evan. "You've all passed." We cheered.

"Oh yeah!" BlackStar boasted, climbing up on a nearby wall and striking a pose. "I was the most awesome out of all of us!" Kid reprimanded him sharply and dragged him down by the collar after hitting him in the head with his foot.

Evan's eyes gleamed. "I say, er, Kid, that technique was something special. Mind sharing?"

Kid stiffened. "It's a family thing," he responded slowly. "You won't be able to replicate it. It's a kind of transmutation, derived off of both alkehestry and alchemy." I shot a surprised glance at him- he knew about alkehestry too? Then I remembered the bood Ed had accidentally left in Resembool, and almost laughed when I realized Kid and I had both been sneaking peeks at it.

"Oh." Evan looked disappointed. "Oh well, here are your certificates of certification," he handed them out, "and your marks of passing." He gave each of us two silk armbands, inscribed with Lord Death's mask in silver and with the symbol of both the military and the Flamel cross on the back of Ed's jacket. "Wear these, and military personnel will know you accompany the Fullmetal Alchemist with my approval."

"Okay," shrugged BlackStar, quickly tying one around his ankle and one around his right shoulder. I tied them both around my ankles. Kid spent a few minutes tying his symmetrically around both arms.

We spent thirty minutes going through a few paperwork issues, then we were released.

And then we were done. For a moment we were at a loss as to what to do, now that we were done, but Kid sprang into action. "Let's find Edward," he announced.

I grinned. "Yeah. Let's." And we were off.

* * *

_Long enough for you? *pants* Sorry for the break, but this is your reward. ;D_

_I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this year (PM or review if you want an explanation), and I'll be trying to write a thousand words a day for that to get my word count up to 55,800 which is my goal for the end of the month. That will obviously cut way into my FF writing time. WOAG readers, fear not- another chapter is a few days away. ;) See you soon/in a while!_

_**Kat**  
_


	32. Chasing Clouds

**CHASING CLOUDS** { BlackStar }

"So where is he?" I panted irritably, glaring daggers at my two teammates. We'd passed the assessment - yay. And now the person we passed the assessment to protect was missing.

Whoop-de-fucking-doo.

"I don't know," replied Maka, wrinkling her nose. "I can't find him anywhere. Kid?"

He sighed. "Nothing. I'm not getting a single inkling in the entire country of where he could be. I can, however, sense Alphonse. But he's..." My sometimes-teammate/sometimes-rival paused and contemplated something, frowning. "Underground?"

"You're right." Maka started muttering to herself. I rolled my eyes in exasperation,

"Will SOMEONE give the Almighty BlackStar a straight answer?!"

Dipping his head to face the ground, Kid murmured distractedly, "Yes yes." Then his eyes narrowed and closed, and he reconcentrated on the ground beneath his feet. I sat down crosslegged in a huff. It's not fair. Why don't I get the psychic powers?

Not that I wished I had them or anything. I'm the Amazing BlackStar. I don't need any stupid hocus-pocus soul-sensing.

It would come in handy though.

"Yeah, Al's definitely underground," Maka confirmed. Then she started running around with her eyes narrowed and sometimes closed, Kid following suit. I snorted unhappily and followed, and for a moment considered letting them get hit by a car, but decided against it at the last second and warded off automobiles by either punching them and stopping them in their tracks or waving my arms frantically and shouting something along the lines of "Delusional friends, clear the way folks!" Thankfully both Maka and Kid were absorbed into their soul-percepting so I was spared evil Reaper glares and Maka Chops.

Finally they found what we were looking for; some sort of underground tunnel. Even I could feel the 'evil vibes' coming from deeper within. "Creepy," I shivered.

Kid and Maka back on the trail, I watched them rather amusedly - they reminded me of beagles. Or pitbulls. What's the kind of dog that's really good at sniffing things out? Bloodhound? Or German whatsits? Meh. After a straight half-hour of walking, both of them stopped in their tracks and their heads snapped up, intense gazes fixed ahead. I was strongly reminded of the movie UP.

"Squirrel!" I supplied, trying to hold in my snorts of laughter.

"Shut up, BlackStar," came the unanimous response.

Deeper we went. Yes, I shut up - I was totally getting into assassin mode. Unfortunately there wasn't any Internet in this time period, nor cellphone service; which essentially meant no Reaping or Skullbooking. There weren't any Deathbucks in this place either. (If there were, they would totally have to rename it - Starbucks, in honor of their God!)

Assassin mode comes in handy too. Like when the ravenous weird mixed-beasts jumped us fifty feet from the entrance into another chamber where Kid and Maka were convinced Al was. Just great. Oh, and I think I have a new catchphrase:

Whoop. De. Fucking. Doo.

* * *

_Language warning. Oops, too late. :P_

_Fff. Screw polite language, I just went through the best haunted corn maze EVAR. Like. Srsly. 'Twas so fun~ I greeted everyone cheerfully and shouted "Happy Birthday" in three different languages (English, Spanish, and German, in case you were interested) to every creepy stalker in said maze. There were two guys with chainsaws, they were funny and followed us and everyone but me was screaming their heads off. And then there was the creepy lady who wanted to brush my hair with a bloody dental instrument... Like literally bloody._

_Then on the bus ride back, Charlie, Ailim and I had this long drawn-out discussion about the annoyances of the 'Charlie bit my finger!' videos. Including a wish for an app where you can beat the crap out of the Charlie kids and yell, 'Bite this, mutha****er!' His words, not mine._

_"Happy Birthday!" "¡Felíz cumpleaños!" „Herzlichen Geburtstag!"_

_English - Spanish - German_

_Meh. NaNoWriMo's coming up! :D I'm Kidd-kun Kat, btw. (Kudos if you read all of that sh*t. ^)_

_**Kat**  
_


	33. Adversary Number One

_Kudos to sesame for reminding me of my favorite curse word x3_

_Argh. I feel sad. I did so much build-up to this, I've been so excited to finish this story... and my brain just HAD to go and plan a sequel. *facepalm* Complete with strange ending that I think about every time I hear the song 'Iridescent' by Linkin Park. Demon- I'll tell you about my brilliant idea if you don't mind having both stories completely spoiled. :L_

_I'll tell you the name of the sequel ... in the next chapter's AN. Maybe. ;P At least I know the next one'll be decidedly darker... with a sad ending for one or two of the characters~_

* * *

**ADVERSARY NUMBER ONE** { Edward }

I struggled against Envy's grip, glaring daggers at Ling (Greed) as he unveiled the ourobourus tattoo on his hand. I wasn't really paying attention to anything around me until Al gasped, "Brother!" and pointed vaguely behind us. I twisted underneath the giant green claw that held me, and my jaw dropped.

Bickering (whacking each other over the head with books?) and arguing, but standing there in a more-or-less battle ready stance, were Maka, Kid, and BlackStar.

"We too late to join the party?" I heard Kid call out. Then, from BlackStar, "THIS is a party? Whoop-de-fucking-doo."

"What are you doing here?" I hissed, startled. "You've only been in rehab six months!"

Kid shrugged. "Pinako said we're ready. We took an assessment from some military examiner a few minutes ago. We're your new bodyguards."

"Yeah!" BlackStar grinned. "So we followed you down here."

My jaw dropped. If Al had one, his probably would have too. "How?" I spluttered. "I didn't go down that tunnel! I only just... reappeared, here!" So they can follow me without a trail?!

Maka looked at me curiously. "Really? But-"

"Who are you?"

All three of them tensed and turned towards the sound. Father had done his creepy ninja-like approaching-suddenly trick, catching even Kid - one of the most paranoid people I've ever met - offguard. "Who are you?" the bastard repeated.

"No-one important," BlackStar sneered. "Just a couple 'a kids who're gonna kick your ass."

Father sighed, infuriatingly. "This doesn't concern you. I'm afraid I'll have to be rid of you. Gluttony, eat them." Waving his hand dismissively, he ushered Gluttony forward. The Homunculus leered happily and leaped forward. I started to struggle with all my might, Al and I both, yelling and shouting for the trio to move. They ignored us and stood their ground.

"This brings me back to the old days," BlackStar snarled happily. Kid nodded, the gleam of battlelust lighting in his eyes. Maka clenched her fists and bared her teeth in anticipation. I watched, a little horrified; they didn't know what they were up against!

Then everything went to hell.

In an instant, Maka and Kid had flipped away, leaving BlackStar to bring his fists - covered by gloves, I noted - up and punch Gluttony square in the gut. Blue lightning flashed (transmutation?!) and the ground beneath the blue-haired boy cracked, creating a small crater, but he held firm. "Wait for it..." he growled between clenched teeth. The electricity continued to dart around them, when...

CRACK.

Kid came out of nowhere (did he just teleport?!) and smashed his heel down on the back of Gluttony's head just as BlackStar grunted and forced even more blue energy to crackle around him, flinging both Gluttony and Kid away. Just before the striped boy was gobbled up by an enraged Homunculus, Maka shimmied one of the pipes nearby and also slammed her weapon of choice (... a book?) into Gluttony's neck. The monster went down, but the duo performed neat backflips and landed somewhat clumsily (they're not used to their automail...) next to BlackStar.

I began to decide that having bodyguards might not be so bad after all.

* * *

_**Kat**_


	34. Woe Is Me

_Another chapter, yay~ And a response to an anonymous review on chapter 21, which honestly annoyed me for no reason simply because I'm tired and was in the middle of writing a new chapter for '100 OneShots of Death the Kid'. So sorry in advance, anonymous reviewer, for my harsh words._

_Matt:__ Yes, I am quite aware that Liz is not an albino. If you reread it you will find I specified that SOUL had begun to talk. Soul, unlike Liz, can be classified as an 'albino weapon'. Therefore my choice of words. Please read what I wrote again._

* * *

**WOE IS ME** { Maka }

"What is that thing?" I gaped, watching as the fat monster got up unsteadily. Blood splashed from his wounds, the ones BlackStar and I inflicted. Red lightning arced around him and the splits in his skin healed. My eyebrows lowered, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Kid and BlackStar's eyes narrow. The latter flexed his fingers and allowed his soul wavelength to crackle around his hidden metal hands.

"I don't know, but he regenerates like Asura," Kid growled. I startled - he was right. Then I grinned. We know how to fight people like him. But...

Turning my head towards Ed, I barked, "Weak points?"

"None, really!" he yelled. "If you kill him enough times, it'll destroy his Stone- ack!" The green monster pinning him ground his body farther into the floor.

"Be quiet!" the monster growled. Too late - Ed had given us all we needed.

Bemoaning mentally my lack of a weapon, I held my ground as Gluttony (was that his name?) raced at us once more. Gritting my teeth, I prepared my soul; using a tactic the three of us had practiced during rehab. I began to shoot my wavelength down from my chest down to my legs and along my arms, channeling it like I would when Soul and I resonated. Except this time, instead of passing those wavelengths along to the weapon or letting them dissapate into thin air, I hardened my mental barriers at my fingertips and toes, letting the wavelengths bounce off and ricochet back to their origin. I passed wavelengths back and forth like a tennis match, letting them grow and grow in strength until with a small snarl I focused all of it into my left foot (the automail one), the metal conducting it perfectly. As my teammates peeled off to other side I felt briefly exposed, but then Gluttony was upon me.

Growling, I brought my leg up and spun, a perfect roundhouse kick. The blue lightning that was the electric reaction of my wavelength crackled around us, and for a moment the monster and I were frozen like that - both in midair, my foot planted on his face. Then a loud crack sounded and Gluttony's head snapped back, most of his skull fractured and probably with a dislocated jaw. Sure enough, he started to heal, but before he got far he was slammed with another wavelength - BlackStar's.

Kid joined in, bringing his fists together to form electricity (purple; his wavelength attack is kinda dark and creepy) with a snapping sound and bludgeoned the monster back to me. We passed him back and forth, smashing in his head since that was the part least covered in fat, until with a nod from me Kid stood back and let him skid along the ground, whimpering and clutching his head. Not one to let me have the last word, BlackStar punched him one more time. Gluttony screamed shrilly, shaking violently as the current of electricity destroyed him from the inside. He rolled a few times, ending up at the feet of the strange Asian man with the tattooed hand.

I could almost see the gears turning in Ed's head, and his eyed bulged in shock at the ease with which we had beaten the monster down.

"Most interesting," the bearded guy mused, not even bothering to glance at his sobbing fat minion. "Alchemy that stops at deconstruction?"

"What're you talking about?" BlackStar snapped.

Ed swung his head towards the assassin. "That was alchemy! That lightning was transmutic reaction, wasn't it?"

"Um... no."

Kid and I said it in unison, cocking eyebrows at each other. "The only thing we know about alchemy is theory, in your books," the reaper explained slowly. "We can't actually perform any."

"Then what exactly did you just do?" the bearded guy continued to question.

All of our expressions hardened. "That's classified." Kid ground out. "It's a family trade. My dad runs a school that teaches it."

"And where is this school?"

NOW I knew what to do, to throw them off. We'd seen world maps; we knew this world didn't have any countries that even resembled ones from ours. "Death Vegas," I smiled, feigning innocence. "In America. Southwestern part. Nevada. Next to California, Utah, Oregon..."

"Liars," the green monster accused.

I raised a hand defensively. "I'm not lying," I defended. "It's true." My teammates nodded vigorously.

Then the door opened again, and there stood two people- the duo that we'd passed on our way down. One of the monsters we'd been fighting slumped in a bloody heap at their feet.

"Scarface!" BlackStar greeted cheerfully. "'Sup?"

I facepalmed.

* * *

_Good ol' BlackStar._

_**Kat**_


	35. Not Quite

_Hay~ I would have updated sooner, but the wifi at Great Wolf Lodge is sadly lacking. :L Oh, and sorry, Demon- actually it's next chapter when Father gets his 'aha' moment ^^; I cannot keep my own plot straight in my mind. Gah._

_So here~_

* * *

**NOT QUITE** { Kid }

"Shut up, BlackStar," I hissed in exasperation. I nodded to Scar and the girl a litte nonchalantly, tensing inwardly. My last clumsy landing had jarred my right leg, and I secretly hoped that Gluttony could stay our only opponent for a moment.

In fact, I was a little caught up in my thoughts, and only caught the end of what Scar was saying. "... and they've got Fullmetal too. Though I don't know who those three are."

"Hm? Well, I don't know them either," the girl squeaked. "But- where is he? Where is Mr. Edward?"

"Right there."

"He's not really there, is he?"

"I told you, that's him right there. That little runt is the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Gods know what about what Scar said made her so mad, but that little girl went ballistic. Quickly diving into a screaming match with Ed, she tossed little kunai in a star-shaped pattern, then did the same at her feet and performed some strange long distance alchemy, conjuring up a huge stone fist that sent Ed, Al, and the green monster flying. The two brothers landed neatly and clapped their hands together ("About time"?), but it had no effect when they touched them to the ground.

"Dammit! Why is theirs still working?" the elder wailed as he ran, then hid behind a chunk of stone. Doing a couple neat handsprings to avoid collateral flying shrapnel from the nearby battle, I landed next to the duo, my teammates close behind.

"Fancy meeting you here," I commented wryly.

"I thought you came looking for us," Ed grumbled in reply.

Shrugging, I smirked. "Still. What is that thing?"

"Fine." Ed sighed. "The bearded bastard over there is called 'Father', and I guess you could just classify him as the big bad enemy leader. The green giant is Envy, one of the Homunculi - they're named after the seven deadly sins. The fat one's Gluttony. Lust is dead, Greed ... was AWOL, then killed, but now he's in our friend-" he gestured, scowling, at the Asian man "-and we think Führer Bradley is one too."

BlackStar whistled; Maka and I frowned. "Can you get us a distraction?" I asked quietly.

Ed hummed. "I suppose."

We darted away, and both Elrics dashed out and started accusing Envy of shooting a child, starting a war in someplace, doing something, killing Scar's people, etc. My eyebrows drew together in a dark picture of anger. Mass genocide? That must be why this country feels so... stagnated, and wrong. There was no proper Grim Reaper here to clean up the stupid humans' mess.

"Flank and attack? Lost Island style?" I murmured to Maka. She nodded sharply, and we moved out.

As the two of them charged at Gluttony, yelling and distracting, I swept around back where he was unprotected. I vaguely registered the fact that the entire other half of the room had just blown up- Scar, probably. Jeez. These people need some anger management. (Because Maka and BlackStar are totally calm all the time.)

Just as I had pounced from high up on the wall, I sensed a streak of multitude-souls coming towards me just in time to block. Landing heavily, I snapped my head up and narrowed my eyes. Before me was the Asian man, Greed or something.

"Well this is interesting," I hissed with a sort of feral smile gracing my face. "Why would a man have more than one soul? Doubles I've seen. Triples I've heard about. Somewhere... hmm, in the thousand-ranges? Now this is new."

Greed scratched the back of his head. "You caught on fast. Sorry..." He grinned, sharp teeth showing. "I'm going to have to get you out of the picture."

I couldn't help it. Back in my world, at least people knew who I was. Here... nobody had a clue. Now I wasn't about to let some petty human, Philosopher's Stone-ified or otherwise, get in the way of our mission. Just as I readied myself to lunge at the guy, the floor beneath me rose up, a hole opening in the stone. I barely had a second to look down in horror before the walls around me snapped shut.

* * *

_Hahaha~, poor Kiddo. ( He's fine x3 )_

_**Kat**_


	36. Mr Baddie

_So maybe you've heard I'm re-writing Dark Moon. No? Go check it out x3 -shameless self-advertising-_

* * *

**MR. BADDIE** { BlackStar }

"Kid!" Maka and I hollered as our friend was swallowed up by the stone hands. Judging by the quick 'crunch', I guessed it probably could have snapped a few of his bones.

"You bastard, leave them out of this!" Edward yelled from what seemed like far away.

I was this close to seeing red, but Maka pulled me out of it. "He's okay," she whispered to me. "Remember? Bones like diamond. Plus he's a... you know." I took a deep breath and nodded, then proceeded to curse and scream in every language I knew (which was like, one and a half) at the bearded guy.

"LET OUR FRIEND GO! KID, OI, STOP SLEEPING ON THE JOB- SHOW UP THIS BASTARD! YOU'VE GOT MORE THAN THAT IN YOU! WHATEVER HAPPENED TO A PERFECT WORLD?" I took a deep breath. "YOU STUPID GOD! _I SAID **WAKE UP!**"_

Silence. I could see Ed's gaze flicking from me to the stone, trying to figure out what 'stupid God' meant. I snorted. Then Maka elbowed me, a stormy expression all over her face, and the smugness faded. Oops. Was I not supposed to tell them that Kid's a god(ling)?

Then, a loud shing rang out through the hall. Foreigners and monsters alike froze to watch the stone hands. Long shimmering lines had been carved into them, which gleamed once and then exploded outwards.

It was Kid! He was in a sort of half-crouch, arms positioned around his head in a defensive posture. Glowing and somehow attached to his forearms were big, shimmering skulls- like shields. Funky.

"Alright!" I whooped, charging Mr. Baddie. "BLACKSTAR NEVER BOWS TO ANY-"

Before I could land a punch, a large stone wall appeared randomly in front of my attackee (is that a word?) and I slammed into it, going probably thirty miles an hour. Stars began to float around my vision and I stumbled back woozily, shaking my head.

"Never bows... to any... anyone..."

I could see both Kid and Maka facepalming out of the corner of my now-technicolor-seeing eyes. Then the stone around them came alive, fastening like ropes. Something squeezed my arms and I looked down blearily to see that I was now enduring the same confinement. "... Whazzat?"

Kid's skulls had disappeared and he was clearly struggling to bring them back, but stone ropes had closed around his throat and were slowly suffocating him. Finally he gave a strangled gasp and fell limp. I thought he'd died for a second, but then his eyes twitched and opened again, dull and tired. Maka wasn't being strangled, but she was held rather tightly.

"Now now," Mr. Baddie clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "So you are the three I requested Pride bring here."

All three of us froze - well, Kid sort of stiffened - and focused our full attention on Mr. Baddie. "You did ... this?" Maka hissed, jerking her head vaguely. "Brought us here by way of that Kishin?"

"Kishin?" several voices asked.

"Yes!" Maka's annoyed tone sort of morphed into her bookworm know-it-all one. "Humans who have strayed onto the path of evil and eat human souls to become stronger. They become corrupted beings called Kishin. The soul structure morphs slowly into one reminiscent of-"

"What the bookworm's saying is, Kishin are monsters," I interrupted.

Mr. Baddie (and the rest of the room's occupants) just gave us blank looks.

"Kishin!" I jerked my shoulders about and made terrible growly monster faces. "Bad! Stay away! No likey Kishin. Kishin very bad."

Stone tendrils began to creep up around my neck, and I grinned innocently.

_Plan B: Use patented BlackStar irritation techniques._

* * *

_He's smarter than he looks, you know. But only by a few brain cells._

_Oh! A wild ANNOUNCEMENT!_

_Would anyone be interested in doing cover art for this fic? I would myself, but I always get lazy and... yeah. x3 Any help would be much appreciated!_

_**Kat**  
_


	37. Whatever

_Well. First off, apologies for the long wait. I know- whatever happened to updating every day? xD_

_Second of all, I must respond to an anonymous reviewer because their reviews have translated to 'update a new chapter just so you can respond'. In my mind, at least._

_Faith: First off, thank you for reviewing. Second off, please stop reviewing EVERY. DAMN. CHAPTER.  
At first I tried to be understanding, and almost laughed at your persistence, but when I realized that my inbox was now filled with over fifty emails (this including the random story updates, author alerts, etc that normally pop up). This, of course, irked me.  
Now, I love reviews just as much as the next person, but this was kind of starting to border upon spamming. Reviewing to a chapter just to say 'Very good', often with bad spelling, isn't very motivating nor happy-making. In fact after having to go through and delete over thirty emails I was rather pissed.  
So thank you, and I am glad you love the story, but from now on take my advice to heart; reading the entire story and **then** reviewing is a much better plan.  
Thank you~_

_There. *phew* On with the actual chapter!_

* * *

**WHATEVER** { Edward }

Okay, maybe I was starting to second-guess the whole bodyguards idea. We really did still not know anything about them. Plus the fact that Father just announced he sent them here... Granted, they look shocked, but they're probably really good actors.

My brain was going a mile a minute, trying to piece together all this new information, when I hear the unmistakable shing sound that heralded Kid's escape from the stone a few minutes earlier. Focusing once more, my jaw dropped as I realized what had happened: There were scythe blades somehow ATTACHED to Maka's arms, and she'd cut right out of the stone traps. Kid and BlackStar whooped, and the latter said something like, "Runs in the family, huh?"

Whatever that was supposed to mean, Maka didn't take kindly to it. Eyes flaming with rage, she sprouted at least six more blades - ankles, calves (avoiding her automail, I noticed), and one on each shoulder; what the hell? - and charged her teammate, who yelped and twisted so that her slice shattered the ropes holding him.

"About time," Kid sighed calmly. The skull-shields on his forearms materialized again, cleanly cutting through the rock that held them.

Scar of all people was the one to speak up. "So you three are creationists as well?"

Kid raised an eyebrow, cooly rubbing his hands together. "Hardly. I specialize in just the opposite."

"Hold it!" I was so. Fed. Up. With all the damn secrecy! "You-" I pointed at Kid, Maka, then BlackStar, "-had better start explaining."

I watched, fuming, as Kid considered this a moment, turning to cock an eyebrow at his partners. Then I almost jumped out of my skin when a strange sensation washed over me, like an alien prescence reaching out and touching me mentally. For some reason, I caught a brief vision of a strange round golden orb, with three white stripes and a bored expression. Then Kid's voice spoke in my head.

_'Please, Ed, I swear on my life we are your friends. I know you don't think you can trust us, and I know it all seems rather far-fetched, but once we are on the surface we will explain everything. Please trust us.'_

I was more than a little dubious. _How do I know you're not lying?_

_'Please,'_ his voice snorted. _'These are my thoughts. I can't lie when I'm talking to you this way.'_

I considered a moment. Then... _Fine. Promise?_

His voice was relieved. _'Promise.'_ Then the presence was gone, and I resisted the urge to shake like a dog. "That was weird," I commented out loud._  
_

"What was?" Al asked, curious. "You were only frozen for a second." I met eyes with Kid, who nodded to me formally.

So I smirked and replied, "I'll tell you later."

* * *

_There. About regular length, no? xD_

_**Kat**  
_


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